


our love is untouchable

by aseroxyc



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Crying, Emotional Abuse, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I'm sorry again, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, but it has a happy ending so yay, chansik is their lil bro, lapslock, minho's dad is kind of an ass but he tries, minho's mom is the biggest minsung shipper ever, they are suffering again, woojin and hyunjin are minho's brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-22 20:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17669798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aseroxyc/pseuds/aseroxyc
Summary: "i love you. i'm sorry, but i love you and i can't watch you marrying someone else."orlee minho, the second oldest son of a poor farmer is forced to marry a rich man, but his childhood best friend han jisung is already in love with him.





	1. part one

**Author's Note:**

> ahhh so this is my longest and my first chaptered fic ever and i really hope it turns out okay lol  
> okay this was supposed to be just a very short fic i started writing as a break from those three other fics that i'm struggling with but then it just became longer and longer and then i was like okay maybe i'll write two parts for this  
> i have no idea when the second part will be posted. maybe in a week or in a few months, it depends lol  
> the title is from kristian kostov's song beautiful mess  
> anyways, have fun reading i guess <3

it has been a completely normal day for minho. he woke up at 4 am, got dressed, ate, fed the horses, went for a walk with his dog and then he went to school.

 

at school, he studies, takes notes, hangs out with jisung. then jisung walks him home, like always.

 

minho and jisung are both confused when they arrive at the lee family's house. there, parked neatly next to mr. lee's old car is a huge, shiny black limousine. next to it, there is a tall, muscular man who doesn't even glance into their direction. 

 

"what the actual fuck is that doing in your yard?" jisung asks, his brows knitted together in utter confusion. the man flinches at this and clears his throat, clearly disgusted by jisung's choice of words. minho shrugs. "i have no idea. i'll find out soon though. see you, sungie," minho says as he skips towards the front door. 

 

"see you on monday, hyung!" jisung calls as minho enters the house, the older of the two waving with a wide smile on his face before closing the door.

 

he knows something is wrong. the house is quiet, the only one greeting him being his dog luna. "hey girl," minho says with a smile as he crouches down in front of her, giggling as she wets his face with excited licks, her tail wagging.

 

"minho? honey?"

 

"i'm here, mom," minho says as he kicks his shoes off, speedwalking towards the kitchen with his old backbag hanging from his shoulder.

 

there, in the kitchen, his whole family is seated around the table. his parents, his older brother woojin with his husband chan, his younger brother hyunjin with his fiancé jeongin, and his youngest brother chansik. minho freezes as he notices a strange man sitting at the table as well, opposite of his father. every single member of his family is looking at him with wide eyes, and minho just wants to ask them why they are staring. however, he keeps quiet, his attention back on the stranger. 

 

the man is wearing an expensive looking suit, his hair is slicked back, and he has a very serious and cold expression on his face. the rest of minho's family looks like a bunch of homeless people compared to him with their dirty, ripped clothes and unstyled hair.

 

"sit down love," mrs. lee says with a small smile, and minho carefully sets the bag down and walks over to his usual place between chansik and his father, swallowing when he notices that the man is following his every move like a cat stalking it's prey.

 

he bows to the man before he sits down just like he has been told to do on front of rich people, almost sighing in relief when the man nods in approval at mr. lee. minho straightens his back and rests his hands on his lap as he carefully raises his gaze to the guy. he also notices a golden chain around his neck, and his eyes widen.

 

"sweetie, this is mr. jung, the owner of the northern side of the town," mrs. lee says nervously, and minho swallows nervously. what the hell is a man that important and rich doing in the lee household, which is one of the poorest families of the whole town?

 

"thank you, mrs. lee. i believe i can take over from here." mr. jung gives minho's mother a smile, and minho almost shivers. it's way too cold to be a genuine smile. but why the hell would he be happy anyway? he is surrounded by a bunch of poor farmers, everything the rich people hate.

 

"minho. minho is your name, right?"

 

minho quickly nods. "yes, sir."

 

"hmm. you have raised your children well, mr. lee. maybe my son doesn't have a bad taste, after all." he says, and mr. lee dips his head and mumbles out a small _thank you, sir_. minho blinks in confusion.

 

"minho. i am here because my dearest son hyungseok sent me. i'm sure you remember him from his visit to the school earlier this week, right?" mr. jung begins, and minho nods again, his eyes widening. of course he remembers. it's not every day the son of their landlord visits the school for the poor children. but what could hyungseok possibly want from them?

 

"he has been looking for a husband or a wife for himself. it's time for my son to take the next step in his life. we have been searching for a good partner for him among the rich people for a long time, and my son decided that none of them is fitting for him." mr. jung pauses, and minho feels his heart stop. this can't be going where he thinks it's going, right?

 

"however, he told me he doesn't mind marrying a poor person, as long as that person is someone who is well raised and has good manners. the idea of his visit to your school was to find a person who catches his eye and who he wants to marry. he has made his decision, and it's you."

 

minho's mouth drops open, and he just stares at the man with wide eyes. did he just hear right? master hyungseok wants to marry _him_? out of all people in this town? no. that can't be right.

 

"a-are you s-sure, sir?" he stutters, and he feels his father nudge him harshly with his elbow. he knows very well that he should never, _ever_ question a rich person, especially their landlord, no matter for what reason.

 

however, mr. jung doesn't seem angry, instead he just laughs. this time, his smile is warm and genuine. "of course i am. i can see that my son has made a good decision. we are not forcing you to this, though. i would still recommend that you accept this." now mr. jung's eyes are cold, even though he has a small smile on his lips. minho swallows.

 

"think about it. your family gets a lot of money for food and new, warm clothes. and really, why would you even turn down an offer of marrying one of the richest men in this town? think about this very seriously." with that, mr. jung pulls out a card from his pocket, handing it over to mr. lee. "your household has a phone, right? call me when your son has made his decision. hyungseok and i would appreciate it if you called us before sunday, so my son can visit and properly meet minho if he decides to accept. we are very busy for the next week and don't have time for more meetings."

 

minho is completely frozen. his head is spinning, and he feels dizzy. mr. jung gets up from his seat and minho's parents escort him out with warm smiles and several _thank you_ s and _drive safely_ s.

 

his parents return to the kitchen, and mrs. lee gently tells chansik to go to his own room. minho quickly plants a kiss on his five-year-old brother's forehead before the small boy hurries up the stairs.

 

"you're going to say yes, right?" mr. lee asks as soon as chanshik has disappeared. minho snaps his gaze towards his father. mr. lee is looking at him with desperation in his eyes, but also concern.

 

"but i don't want to get married yet! i'm only nineteen!" minho wails, and mr. lee frowns. "and? your mother was sixteen when we got married! look at hyunjin and jeongin! it's time for you to get married as well. minho, are you seriously going to deny the offer? you don't want to be rich? you don't want us to have some money for food, so we can properly feed ourselves?"

 

"sir, i'm sorry to interrupt, but minho is still young. he is shocked, give him time to think about this," chan speaks softly, and mrs. lee, woojin, hyunjin and jeongin all nod in approval. minho nearly sighs in relief. really, he doesn't know what he would do without chan helping him against his father in these situations.

 

"chan, as much as i respect you as the husband of my oldest son, i don't want you to interfere now. remember, i am your father-in-law and you should treat me with respect for letting you live in my house when i have no money. this is a conversation between me and minho."

 

minho can visibly see chan flinch, and woojin quickly wraps his arms around the younger, glaring at his father. "well, you didn't have a choice with chan, nor jeongin, for that matter. i got mr. bang's blessing, and hyunjin got mr. yang's. there's nothing you could have done about that, even if you didn't want chan or jeongin here," woojin says defensively, but mr. lee ignores him. 

 

"minho please, you need-"

 

"fresh air, that's what i need right now," minho snaps and storms out of the house, his hands clenched in tight fists. luna quickly follows him, all the way to jisung's house on the other side of the road.

 

"jisung, open up!" minho yells as he bangs on the door, and jisung opens it almost immediately with a startled expression. he looks at minho, then he looks at luna and back to minho before finally speaking. " _what_?"

 

"can i come in?" minho asks quietly, and jisung's gaze softens in an instant. "you don't even have to ask, hyung."

 

jisung moves aside, and luna enters the house first, her tail wagging as jisung quickly pets her head. minho follows, and the younger closes the door. "so, what was that limousine doing there?" he asks once they are seated on the small loveseat in the living room. they are tightly pressed against each other, minho's head resting on jisung's shoulder as the younger runs his fingers through minho's dark brown hair. 

 

luna and coco are sleeping next to them side by side, taking more than half of the loveseat to themselves. minho sighs as he buries his face in his best friend's shoulder.

 

these moments are probably one of the only things in minho's life that he truly loves, aside from his family, luna and, of course, jisung himself. the younger has been his friend literally always, as they live so close to each other. they have always been there for each other. when minho's cat had to be put down because it was sick, minho had spent the night crying in jisung's arms. just like jisung cried for two whole days in minho's arms when his parents died a few years ago, leaving a sixteen-year-old jisung to take care of the small house and the field alone. 

 

when minho doesn't speak for a while, jisung gently pulls minho's legs over his lap and holds him tightly with his other arm. "come on. tell me, baby." 

 

minho smiles slightly at the familiar nickname. it was four years ago when jisung started calling him that. everyone in their school literally thought they were dating, and jisung just started to use cute nicknames when he spoke with minho just to mess with everyone's heads. and even after people forgot it completely, jisung never stopped calling minho with those cheesy pet names, and the latter didn't complain. 

 

"it was mr. jung's limousine. you know, the owner of the northern side of the town?" minho mumbles, sighing once again at the feeling of his best friend's arm around him. jisung nods, his eyes focused on the top of minho's head.

 

"his son hyungseok wants to marry me."

 

minho feels jisung's hand pause for a few seconds before the older continues to stroke his hair again. "oh. well... um... why? i mean, not that he shouldn't want to marry you, because you are literally the sun in human form- _i mean_ what happened next?"

 

minho smiles slightly at jisung's blabbering, finally looking up at his best friend, resting his chin on the younger male's shoulder.

 

"dad told me to accept it," the older whispers, closing his eyes when jisung starts to draw patterns on his face with his finger, giggling quietly when the younger tickles his chin.

 

"and are you going to do that? it's a big ass decision. probably the biggest you'll ever have to make."

 

minho opens his eyes again, and jisung is looking at him with his head tilted, and minho can clearly see the worry in his best friend's eyes. "i don't know. i don't want to. but i have to think about my family."

 

jisung frowns, letting his hand fall to his lap. "hey, come on flower. i know that you want the best for your family, but are you seriously willing to give your whole life to a man who you don't even love because of them? you are doing well now, right? so why would you need more money?"

 

"It's not just that, sungie. i mean, some day woojin and chan are going to have kids. jeongin and hyunjin are getting married soon, and maybe one day they will have kids. and if i marry someone and have kids, we will run out of money, if we haven't done that by then already. dad is already struggling with hyunjin and jeongin's wedding," minho explains with a heavy sigh, and jisung tightens his hold around the older.

 

"so? you can come and live with me. chansik too. you can sleep in my room and i'll take the couch, it's not a big deal-"

 

"sungie, you know we can't do that! we've talked about this before," minho exclaims, sighing again as he sits up, his legs still sprawled across jisung's lap. "i just... i don't know what to do. i don't want a loveless marriage."

 

"that's exactly what i mean. i don't want to see you unhappy, minnie. if and when you get married and have kids, i want it to be with someone you love just because you do, not just because you _have_ to," jisung says, grabbing minho's hands tightly.

 

"you know, i could fall in love with hyungseok. and he could fall in love with me, which, i know is very unlikely, but still."

 

jisung stares at him for a long time, trying to search for any kind of hesitation in his eyes before sighing in defeat and finally letting go of the older's hand. "okay. do what feels right for you, firefly. i'll support you, okay? no matter what. remember, you can always come to me if you need me. even in the middle of the night."

 

minho smiles, wrapping his arms around jisung tightly. "yeah, i know. you've said that so many times before, sungie."

 

he hears jisung chuckle as the younger wraps his arms around him as well. they sit there, in comfortable silence for a long time. minho closes his eyes, his ear pressed against jisung's chest and listening to the younger boy's steady heartbeat.

 

suddenly, minho hears jisung chuckle, and the older rests his chin on the shorter boy's chest. "what's so funny?" he asks, his head tilted. jisung looks down at him with a wide grin. 

 

"remember when even your family thought we were dating? when chansik heard me calling you my love and he told your parents?" he asks, now laughing loudly. minho starts laughing as well, the memory flooding into his mind. 

 

_"mom, dad! jisung hyung call minho hyung my love!"_

 

_"dammit, chansik," minho curses under his breath, and jisung chuckles above him. they are panting heavily, both of their hair a total mess. "okay, get off of me, this will look very wrong to someone who thinks we are dating."_

 

_"we aren't?" jisung asks, laughing when minho fake glares at him, finally sitting up and combing his messy hair with his fingers. "how does a three-year-old know how that term is used, anyway?" he asks, and the older chuckles, sitting up as well. "he listens to mom and dad enough to know what that means. and he is surprisingly smart."_

 

_"minho and jisung! come here, we need to talk!"_

 

_both of them freeze, and minho sighs heavily. "okay, i really didn't expect a pillow fight to end like this. this is your fault."_

 

_jisung smiles widely, standing up and minho follows him._

 

_minho's parents are already waiting in the living room, their expressions serious as they stare at he arriving duo. they sit down on the old couch, and mr. lee immediately starts talking. but what he says really surpises the both of them._

 

_"why didn't you two tell us? you don't need to hide your relationship from us. jisung, you have our blessing. you are a good kid, and the best option for a son-in-law."_

 

_minho and jisung both stare at mr. lee with their mouth and eyes wide open, too stunned to respond. mrs. lee starts speaking as well, beaming with excitement. "oh, i have been waiting for this for so long! who could be a better husband to my son than han jisung?"_

 

_"woah, okay, slow down," minho says, trying to keep himself from laughing. jisung on the other hand just cracks up, laughing loudly against minho's shoulder, causing the middle-aged couple to frown in confusion, their eyes shifting between the two boys. "we are not dating! jisung said it as a joke!"_

 

_mrs. lee frowns again, this time in utter disappointment. "you're not gonna get married?"_

 

_"definitely not!" minho exclaims loudly, finally starting to laugh as well, while jisung is loudly gasping for air, grasping at minho's shirt. all the while, minho's parents are looking at them, their dreams of having jisung as their son-in-law completely crushed._

 

"yeah. oh god, i miss those days," minho laughs, and jisung nods, his laughter slowly dying. "me too."

 

it's quiet again, and minho closes his eyes, hiding his face into the crook of jisung's neck, inhaling the younger boy's comforting scent.

 

 

 

"see you tomorrow. remember to visit me immediately when you decide, okay? i wanna meet that guy if you say yes to him," jisung says, his gaze glued to minho who is pulling on his shoes. the taller male giggles, standing up and smiling at the younger. "stop being so overprotective. i'm sure he's a nice guy."

 

"maybe, but you never know. i wanna know if i can really trust him with you," jisung tells him. he knows he sounds like he is joking, but he is dead serious. if minho is really getting married to this guy, he needs to know that he can trust the man, that minho will be in safe and loving hands for the rest of his life.

 

but minho doesn't seem to notice the seriousness his eyes hold, as the older rolls his eyes in amusement and pecks jisung quickly on the cheek. "okay, okay, i'll come over. god, since when have you been like this?"

 

_since the day i realized that i'm in love with you._

 

jisung smiles, planting a light kiss on minho's forehead. "you should go home, flower. your parents are probably freaking out," he says, a smile on his face. minho smiles back, opening the door. luna trots past them, and minho quickly follows her. "bye, sungie!" 

 

"bye, baby!" jisung calls after him, closing the door. a heavy sigh leaves his lips, and he turns so that his back is leaning against the dirty brick wall. he slowly slides down to sit on the floor, his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers tangling into his hair.

 

it's killing him.

 

seeing minho every day is slowly and painfully killing him.

 

but the thought of minho marrying someone else? it's like endless torture. 

 

when jisung first realized his feelings for minho, it was like a rough slap to his face. it was a warm summer evening. jisung was bored out of his mind, so he decided to visit minho. the older always knew what to do when jisung was bored.

 

so, after an hour, they were walking together at the beach, throwing a ball for luna and coco to fetch as they talked about everything. their future plans, how they want to name their children, their favorite dog breed....

 

and minho suddenly grabbed jisung's hand, wildly gesturing towards the water with his eyes wide, squealing like an excited little kid. jisung turned his gaze and stared in awe. the sun was already starting to set, painting the water and the sky completely orange and red. it was the most beautiful thing jisung had ever seen.

 

but then he turned his eyes to minho again, exactly at the same time minho turned to look at him. 

 

it was then, the sun painting them in countless of different shades of red and orange, holding each other's hands and staring into each other's eyes when jisung realized.

 

_i love him._

 

jisung groans at the memory, slightly pulling at his hair before letting go, letting his head fall back to rest against the wall.

 

then, he hears coco's faint whine, and a soft nudge at his elbow. jisung smiles slightly, turning to look at the small dog before picking him up in his arms, smiling. "what do you think, coco? do you think i should tell him?"

 

the only thing coco gives him as an answer is a wagging tail and wet kisses to his face, and jisung chuckles. "thanks, buddy. yeah, i'll probably have to wait for a while before that can happen," he says, sighing heavily again.

 

 

 

"minho! where have you been!?" his mother asks as she walks over to him, wrapping minho in a tight hug. "i thought that you ran away or something, i was so worried!"

 

"i was just over at jisung's, mom," minho says as he hugs mrs. lee tightly before pulling away. mrs. lee smiles widely, placing her hand on minho's shoulder. "ah, of course, where else would you be? did you at least say hi to him from us? he is so busy dealing with the whole farm alone, i miss having you two hanging around together in our house."

 

minho chuckles. "he's completely fine, mom. and he doesn't deal with the whole farm alone, he has me, seungmin, felix and changbin helping him out when he needs it."

 

"of course he has." mrs. lee sighs deeply, guiding minho over to the living room as she continues. "you should have married jisung when we gave you two our blessing. none of this would be happening!"

 

minho doesn't say anything as his mother makes him sit down on the couch before going back to the kitchen, he only hums.

 

he really has thought about what it would be like, being married to jisung. in fact, he thinks about it quite often.

 

what it would be like to wake up next to jisung every day. what it would be like to properly kiss him on the lips, not just his forehead or his cheeks. what it would be like to spend the rest of his life with the younger male.

 

and he doesn't know if it's a good sign, but he can't think of a single reason why he wouldn't want to marry the younger guy. is it even normal to think that of your own best friend? 

 

"i'm sure jisung gave you some sort of advice?" mr. lee says as he puts the newspaper down on the small coffee table, his eyes focused on minho.

 

"yeah. he told me to do what feels right," minho whispers, playing with the hem of his worn-out hoodie. he bites his lip nervously. he doesn't even know if the decision he made is right. because it certainly doesn't feel like it.

 

mr. lee sighs, getting up from the armchair and walking over to the couch, sitting down next to his son. "minho, i don't want to force you to anything. and if i got to decide, i would agree with your mother. jisung would be the best option. but now with this... we have a chance to live properly. no more old bread for every single meal, no more worn-out clothes, no more worrying about the upcoming weddings or the money in general."

 

minho sighs and nods. 

 

"i-i'll accept it."

 

mr. lee smiles sadly and nods as well, pulling minho into a tight hug. minho hugs him back, closing his eyes. "you made a good decision, my son. i'm proud. i'm sure you will be happy."

 

minho just nods, sighing deeply as he pulls away from his father's embrace. mrs. lee walks into the living room as well, chan and jeongin following her. "did he make his decision already?" chan asks, his fingers twitching nervously.

 

minho nods, and mr. lee stands up, sighing. "he will say yes."

 

" _what_?" chan and jeongin yell in unison, turning to look at minho with wide eyes. "are you serious, minnie? you know you don't have to do that-"

 

"minho has made his decision, boys. he is old enough to know what is for the best, and he is also old enough to make decisions on his own without anyone affecting his choices," mr. lee says, glaring at his sons-in-law, and they both stay quiet, even though chan sends a glare in his direction.

 

"i'll call mr. jung now and tell him about this, so we can arrange the meeting as soon as possible."

 

with that, mr. lee shoos everyone out of the room, and minho walks towards his own bedroom with heavy steps.

 

he closes the door, and he stands there, leaning against it for a minute before heading towards his wardrobe. he opens it, staring at the dirty, ripped clothes in frustration. what the hell is he going to wear once master hyungseok visits? he can't look like a normal farmer in front of him.

 

in fact, he can't look like a farmer at all. where the hell is he going to get clothes which make him look like a rich person?

 

minho jumps when someone knocks on his door. his parents walk into his room with chan tailing after them, and minho blinks at them. 

 

"the meeting is on sunday morning. hyungseok will come over with his father," mr. lee tells him, and minho swallows, nodding. "o-okay. um.... can jisung be here too when he comes?" 

 

mrs. lee's face lights up like christmas lights, but she frowns when mr. lee sighs. "minho, you know that's not part of the tradition. the only people in our house when he visits should be our family." 

 

"jisung _is_ a part of our family," minho snaps, and mrs. lee nods in agreement. "you said it yourself when jisung's parents died and he lived with us for a few days after that." 

 

mr. lee stares at him and finally sighs, nodding. "alright, alright. he can come. but he has to stay quiet, even though i know he probably wants to interrogate hyungseok."

 

mr. lee leaves the room with mrs. lee, and chan smiles at the younger, guiding him over to the bed and settling down a pile of clothes. "we are about the same size, and i know you don't have anything to wear, so here are some of my clothes you can have."

 

minho blinks, grabbing a loose white dress shirt and examining it. it's completely clean, not a single patch of dirt or holes anywhere. the younger furrows his eyebrows, glancing at chan. "how is this so clean?"

 

"i've worn it only once, to mine and woojin's wedding. the pants weren't so lucky though, i ripped them after a while, so i got you these," chan explains as he grabs a pair of white high-waisted skinny jeans, and minho blinks again. they are in a very good condition as well, not as pristine as the shirt but still. "i know jeans aren't a very good option to a meeting like this but at least they are still white."

 

"no, i'll wear them. it's not like there is much of a choice anyway," minho chuckles, setting the shirt and the jeans down on the bed and sitting down as well.

 

"what should we do with your hair? do you want it slicked back?" chan asks, sitting next to him and minho quickly shakes his head. "no. i want it to be something natural. but what if master hyungseok doesn't like it? oh gosh, this is so stressful."

 

chan chuckles, gently rubbing minho's back. "hey, he's your future husband, you can probably call him by his first name. and second, don't stress too much. i really think you look a lot prettier with your natural hair, so i'm pretty sure hyungseok will like it as well. anyways, you have tomorrow to plan the whole thing, so don't rush."

 

minho gives the older male a smile and chan pats his head a couple of times before he gets up, making his way out of the room. a heavy sigh leaves minho's lips as he walks over to the dirty, broken mirror hanging on his wall, staring at his own reflection.

 

when he was younger, he always saw this happy, smiling and confident kid who was ready to face everything and wants to see the whole world opening in front of his eyes.

 

now? minho sees a stressed, scared and a confused teenager who just wants to hide under the bed or in his best friend's arms for the rest of his life.

 

 

 

minho doesn't sleep at all that night. he tosses and turns in his bed, and then it's already 4 am again. he does his morning routine, and the clock is not even six when minho knocks on jisung's door. "sungie!" 

 

"in the backyard!"

 

minho doesn't waste a second, he hurries to the backyard and sees jisung standing there, throwing a ball and coco quickly chases after it, his tail wagging.

 

jisung yelps in surprise when minho runs at him and jumps into his arms, tightly hugging his neck and his legs wrapping around jisung's waist.

 

"hey, dewdrop. are you okay?" the younger asks, his hands grabbing the undersides of minho's thighs to support him. minho just shakes his head and sniffles, hiding his face in jisung's neck.

 

"tell me what happened, firefly. did you decide already?" jisung asks quietly, lifting his other hand up to rub soothing circles onto minho's back. the latter sniffles again, a small _yes_ falling from his lips.

 

minho hears jisung swallows nervously before the younger continues. "well... what did you say?"

 

"i said yes. i'll marry him."

 

jisung sighs deeply, his hold around minho tightening, and minho cries, his tears starting to stain jisung's old flannel shirt. "i don't want to marry him, sungie. i'm scared...."

 

"then why the fuck would you say yes, flower?" jisung asks, pulling minho's face away from his neck. minho blinks at the mix of desperation and anger in his friend's eyes. "don't do it. tell your father to cancel the whole thing."

 

"sungie, i _can't_ do that! i'm doing this for my family...." minho whispers, his voice cracking.

 

"if your father would willingly give his own son to a man who he doesn't love so he can have money then your father can go to hell. i won't watch this. we are gonna go and tell your father to cancel it, and you will come and live with me."

 

minho's eyes widen, and he slides off of jisung, shaking his head and wiping away his tears. "sungie, we can't- he won't accept it!"

 

jisung opens his mouth and shuts it again, at loss of words. minho stares at the shorter boy, his eyes widening when he notices jisung's own eyes glistening. why is he crying? "sungie..." 

 

"i love you."

 

minho's eyes widen even more as jisung whispers those three words, his voice so quiet that they barely reach minho's ears. jisung sniffles, grabbing the older male's hand tightly. "i love you. i'm sorry, but i love you and i can't watch you marrying someone else."

 

minho's heart is hammering against his ribcage so hard and fast that the older is sure that's it's going to jump out of his chest. his stomach twists at jisung's quiet words and the way the younger looks at him with so much desperation and _love_ , and minho feels guilty not seeing it earlier.

 

but does he love jisung?

 

minho doesn't even have the time to answer that question quietly to himself in his head before his body does it for him. he grabs the collar of jisung's shirt with both hands, pulls him closer and kisses him square on the mouth.

 

it's messy and clumsy, minho's hands flying up to jisung's hair and jisung's fingers gripping at his hips, and minho accidentally bites the younger male's lower lip, causing him to yelp in surprise.

 

they only pull away from each other when minho feels like his lungs are about to burst from the lack of oxygen. he gasps, and jisung rests their foreheads together. both of them are panting heavily, their lips swollen and eyes closed.

 

" _i love you_ ," minho whispers softly, opening his eyes to see a wide, gummy smile playing on jisung's lips. the younger opens his eyelids as well, their gazes meeting.

 

however, jisung's smile slowly fades away as he lightly kisses minho again, whispering under his breath. "please, don't marry hyungseok...."

 

"i won't. i'll cancel the whole thing," minho says. jisung lets out a sigh of relief, pulling minho closer to kiss him again.

 

 

 

"dad?"

 

"in the kitchen."

 

It's already dark outside when he returns home, his legs and hands trembling with nervousness.

 

he spent the whole day in jisung's house in the younger male's comforting embrace, and he has never been more sure of what he wants than he is now.

 

he doesn't want to marry hyungseok. he wants jisung.

 

but how is his father going to react when he hears those words? he was ready to give minho to jisung years ago, surely he hasn't changed his mind?

 

when he enters the kitchen, both of his parents are sitting at the table, and jeongin and chan are doing the dishes while hyunjin is doing his homework next to mrs. lee, while chansik is playing with a toy car on the floor. woojin is sitting next to his father, and they are talking in a hushed tone. 

 

great. his whole family is going to hear this.

 

"dad, we need to talk."

 

slowly, everyone raises their gazes to him in curiosity. everyone but chansik, who just waves at him excitedly without looking up.

 

"sure, minho. but be quick, you have to wake up early for tomorrow." mr. lee tells him, and minho sighs.

 

"i-i want to cancel it."

 

"what?"

 

"i want to cancel the meeting. no, not just the meeting. i want to cancel the whole wedding."

 

he hears a faint crash as a plate slips from jeongin's hands back into the sink, the said boy staring at minho with eyes and mouth wide open. just like everyone else.

 

"why?"

 

minho swallows and turns to face his father who has stood up from his chair, his voice and his eyes cold.

 

"i don't want to marry someone i don't love," minho whispers, lowering his eyes to the floor, not able to meet his father's piercing gaze. mr. lee sighs deeply and he sits down again. "it's jisung, isn't it? he changed your mind," he mutters, more to himself than minho.

 

"i love him. i love jisung."

 

if minho wanting to cancel the wedding didn't shock everyone before, this definitely does. even chansik is staring at minho with his eyes wide open in surprise and confusion. mrs. lee jumps up from her seat, a wide smile on her lips as she runs over to minho and hugs him.

 

"minho isn't marrying hyungseok. he is marrying jisung."

 

"what? no he's not! minho, you are _not_  canceling this meeting or this wedding. you are marrying hyungseok, whether you wanted it or not," mr. lee snaps, getting up from his seat again. woojin gets up as well, glaring at his father and hyunjin follows his oldest brother's example.

 

"you can't marry minho to someone else against his will!" woojin yells, and hyunjin continues. "what the fuck, dad? if minho doesn't want to marry hyungseok, then he won't marry hyungseok. that's it. he doesn't have to please you."

 

mr. lee glares at his sons, telling them to sit down, and they hesitantly do as they are told. chan opens his mouth to stand up for his husband and his brother-in-law, but mr. lee quickly cuts him off.

 

"i know i may seem like a massive asshole now," he begins, and woojin rolls his eyes. "seem? you are acting like one."

 

"but you also have to remember who you all are thankful to. i am the one who works his ass off for his family so you can eat. i am the one who _started_ this family and gave all of you a life. chan especially. i don't appreciate you trying to interrupt me and turning the others against me, when you and jeongin literally have the less power here."

 

chan doesn't say anything, just hangs his head down and jeongin hugs the older male's arm.

 

"i am the head of this family, and by marrying minho to hyungseok, we can all have a better life, as it seems that my hard work and effort is not enough," mr. lee explains, his voice slightly raised and minho bites his lip, trying to keep the tears from falling.

 

"so you are ready to sacrifice minho for a small amount of money?" mrs. lee hisses, hugging minho tighter. "minho has found someone he loves, and _i_ want him to marry that person. besides, you said that you won't force him to anything, so what the hell is this!?"

 

"for once again, i am the head of this family and make the decisions here!" mr. lee shouts, and all of them flinch. chansik starts crying, and jeongin quickly picks the small boy up in his arms to calm him down.

 

"hyungseok comes here tomorrow. and minho, if you care about this family, even a little, then you _will_ marry him."

 

with that, mr. lee walks out of the room, leaving all of them completely shocked and frozen on the spot. mrs. lee sighs and hugs minho again before letting go and following mr. lee. "i'll talk to him. maybe he will change his mind." 

 

 

 

apparently his mother doesn't succeed, because the next morning chan comes to wake him up with a pitying smile on his face.

 

"hey, you need to get ready."

 

chan brings him some of mrs. lee's makeup and irons the dress shirt while minho takes a shower. by the time he comes back, jeongin and chansik attack him with towels, drying his hair and giggling when minho protests loudly, trying to push them away. he knows they are trying to cheer him up, but he can't help but feel even worse.

 

after his hair is completely dry, chan makes him sit down in front of the mirror and applies a thin layer of makeup onto his face. when he is ready, he helps minho get dressed.

 

"you look absolutely beautiful, minnie! no wonder hyungseok wants to marry you," mrs. lee exclaims as she comes barreling into the room, a wide but sad smile on her face. hyunjin and woojin are following him.

 

"how should we button the shirt? all the way up or should we leave the top buttons open? the rich people have way too different preferences when it comes to fashion." chan mutters under his breath and hyunjin shrugs. "just leave them open, it looks better that way. and hyungseok had the top buttons open as well when he visited our school."

 

"how can you even remember that?" woojin asks, and hyunjin sticks his tongue out at him. "i am observant."

 

"since when?"

 

"hey!"

 

minho chuckles lightly, and mrs. lee shakes her head at her sons. "hey, behave! minho isn't the only one who has to make a good impression today. hyungseok is going to meet our whole family."

 

"yes, mother," hyunjin and woojin say in unison, and mrs. lee is about to say something when they hear mr. lee's yell from downstairs.

 

"they are here!"

 

minho's heart stops and he takes a deep breath. all of them hug him tightly before they walk minho down the stairs.

 

minho feels sick when he hears a stranger's and his father's voices coming from the living room, and then mr. jung's loud laugh.

 

he can't do this.

 

minho grasps at woojin's shirt tightly, and the older quickly pulls him into a tight, comforting hug. "hey, it's okay. it will be okay. you can do this, minnie."

 

"hey hyung, remember what you always told chansik when he fell and scraped his knee and started crying? or when i failed an important test at school?"

 

minho pulls his face away from woojin's chest to look at hyunjin in confusion. the younger chuckles at him, fixing minho's hair slightly before smiling at him. "you told me to keep my head high. now it's your turn."

 

minho sniffles, wiping away a tear. he glares at hyunjin, but his voice cracks when he tries to tell him to _fuck off_ , causing all of them to laugh. "go, hyung, you'll do great," jeongin says with an encouraging smile.

 

minho takes a deep breath and nods. so, he walks past the rest of his family. he doesn't even have time to hesitate anymore, because only a second later he steps into the living room, and he can feel his breath get caught in his throat.

 

mr. lee smiles widely when he sees his son, gesturing towards him. "there he is, sir."

 

first mr. jung turns around, a wide smile spreading on his lips as he hurries towards minho, grabbing at his shoulders. "hyungseok, let me tell you, he will be a perfect husband for you! he even looks like a rich person," he exclaims, and minho plasters a fake smile on his face. "ah, thank you, sir."

 

and finally, hyungseok turns around as well.

 

minho has never felt more nervous, and he is sure that his heart literally stops for a few seconds. 

 

hyungseok just stares at him.

 

minho tries to keep his breathing steady, and he tenses up. however, hyungseok's reaction is something that makes his eyes widen in surprise.

 

"he's the most beautiful person i've ever seen," the tall male says quietly, staring at minho in awe. 

 

minho nearly chokes on thin air, and he can't help but feel even more uncomfortable. this doesn't feel right. it feels so, _so_ wrong and he just wants to disappear. instead, he swallows and gives hyungseok his most beautiful smile, and hyungseok smiles back. 

 

"go on," mr. jung says with a smile as he backs away from minho. hyungseok walks over to the shorter male with a gentle smile as he offers his hand, his palm open, and minho carefully rests his own hand on top of hyungseok's. he can't help but slightly flinch at the way the taller man's hand tightens around his.

 

quietly and delicately, minho follows hyungseok out of the house and towards the field, hand in hand. and once again, it feel so wrong, and minho feels sick because the only thing he can think about is the fact that it should be jisung holding his hand, and not hyungseok.

 

"tell me, minho. how do you feel about this marriage? don't be scared, you can be honest with me," hyungseok tells him softly, his voice dripping with honey and minho swallows.

 

"i don't know, sir."

 

"you can call me hyungseok. leave the 'sir' title to my father. you are my future husband, and i don't want you to treat me like i am above you. once we are married, we are equals. that's the first thing that's different in our traditions," hyungseok explains, and minho can do nothing else but nod and stare at his own feet as they walk.

 

"i can sense your fear and hesitation," the taller male begins, giving minho's hand a slight squeeze and minho wants to pull his hand away. "i understand completely. but i promise you, you won't regret this."

 

hyungseok stops walking, and minho quickly does the same, turning around to face him.

 

hyungseok lets go of minho's hand, and he digs a necklace out of his pocket. it's a thin golden chain with a bright red stone, and minho nearly protests when hyungseok gently circles behind him to lock it around his neck. because seriously, real gold? he is the second oldest son of a farmer with no money, he should not be wearing a golden chain around his neck.

 

"this necklace was my grandmother's," hyungseok says as he returns to his earlier spot in front of minho, a wide, satisfied smile on his face, and minho blinks, carefully takes the stone in his palms, examining it with wide eyes. "she gave it to me before passing away, and she wanted me to give this to my future husband or wife. it's yours now." 

 

"it's beautiful," he breathes out softly, and he forces a smile on his face again as he lifts his gaze back to hyungseok. "thank you."

 

hyungseok smiles so softly and lovingly that for a moment minho freezes. it's the same look jisung gave him when minho told him that he loves him. but he knows it's a lie. _it's a fucking lie_ , and he wants to run away. he wants to run away from hyungseok, from his family, from everything. maybe even jisung. 

 

but he can only helplessly take hyungseok's hand again and follow him back towards the house. 

 

 

 

jisung watches the whole scene from the window. he sits at by table in the kitchen, silent tears in his eyes.

 

when mr. jung and hyungseok enter the house, jisung just wishes that soon they would storm out of the house with mr. lee angrily yelling after them; _get out of my house, i'm not selling my son or marrying him to a rat like you!_

 

but that never happens. 

 

instead, the door opens slowly, and first hyungseok steps out of the house with a wide smile on his face, and jisung's heart drops. 

 

but then, minho follows him, his hand tightly holding hyungseok's, and jisung's heart shatters. 

 

he watches when they walk back inside the house ten minutes later. the next three hours are torture. jisung waits and waits until finally the door opens, and mr. jung walks out with hyungseok tailing after his father.

 

the limousine drives away, and thirty minutes pass until minho storms out of the house. tears are staining his cheeks, and his makeup is smeared. jisung doesn't waste a second, he runs to his door and opens it before minho has even crossed the road.

 

he hears how minho's parents yell after him, but he doesn't listen. instead he runs straight into jisung's open arms, and the younger hugs him tightly, closing the door and hiding minho from he world's cruelty.

 

"i'm so sorry, jisung. i'm sorry, but i have to marry him. i have to do it. for my family, for chansik, for mom, for dad, for-"

 

jisung smiles sadly as he gently cups minho's face, forcing out a smile. it's useless, because jisung is crying as well, and minho lets out a loud sob. "it's okay, firefly. it's okay. i hope you will be happy with him."


	2. part two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh finally i had time to finish this!  
> idk if you noticed that i changed the description and removed the cheating tag but i was struggling with the original version so much that i changed it lmao sorry  
> i'm not really satisfied with this part but i did my best ^^'  
> i'm sorry for all the grammatical mistakes, i didn't really check them before posting, so i'll probably do it later!   
> anyways, have fun reading <3

minho bites his lip nervously. tears are about to fall from his eyes, but he holds them back. this is not the time nor the place to cry, unless they are happy tears. they are not, and he feels like he is going to break soon if he has to stay there any longer.

 

mr. lee doesn't look as happy as minho expected him to be. his lips are pressed in a thin line as he stares at the blank beton wall, his jaw clenched and his brows furrowed. 

 

chansik is standing next to them with a happy smile, completely oblivious to his father's anger and his older brother's sadness as carefully holds a red satin pillow in his hands. there are two rings neatly lying on top of it, and minho feels sick just by looking at them.

 

he swallows. jeongin and chan could walk in any second, telling them that it's time, and minho is absolutely terrified. he just wants to lock himself into his own room for the rest of his life and hide from the world, from his fiancé he doesn't even love, from his father's piercing gaze, from _everything_. 

 

the door opens way too soon.

 

jeongin and chan walk in, both of them giving minho a tight hug with chan whispering in his ear; _i'm sorry. it's time_.

 

it's all a blur.

 

minho just remembers how empty he feels when his father walks him down the aisle with a smiling chansik behind them. he remembers how the guests coo at the small boy, how hyungseok's friends and relatives all stare at minho in awe. he hears someone whispering something along the lines of; _he can't be a farmer. he is way too beautiful, he must be an angel! where did hyungseok even find him?_ , and he hears several of the other guests agreeing with him. 

 

normally, minho would have been so happy about the compliments. hell, he would have probably done his everything to earn more of them, shown them the smile that he knows could make anyone melt.

 

but now, he just stares forward emptily without a single emotion on his face, and soon he is already facing hyungseok, and the taller male is holding his hands with a wide smile.

 

minho can't smile back.

 

all he can think about jisung. jisung, jisung, jisung. his heartbroken smile when he told minho that _he will leave them alone, it's better for everyone_. the tears on his cheeks when he kissed minho for one last time. the crack in his voice when he told minho goodbye.

 

minho feels sick, and for a moment he feels like throwing up or fainting, right in front of the guests and hyungseok and his family. 

 

when the priest asks hyungseok if he wants to have minho as his husband, minho almost laughs when hyungseok answers _yes_ and they exchange the rings, and the priest immediately announces that they are now married.

 

what did he expect?

 

his chance of saying no is long gone. he doesn't have a choice anymore, no matter what he does.

 

 

 

jisung watches from the distance as people are flooding inside the huge building, watches how minho, in all his beauty, is helped out of a white limousine with the help of some unknown guy, hyunjin and woojin and immediately escorted inside the church.

 

he hears felix sigh behind him, and soon the younger male is standing next to him. changbin and seungmin are with them as well, changbin by felix's side and seungmin is standing side by side with jisung.

 

"are you sure you are staying out of this?" changbin asks after blowing out a thick cloud of smoke, his eyes focused on the crowd. his other hand is deeply buried inside the pocket of his dress pants while holding a cigarette neatly between his index and middle finger in his other hand.

 

"there's nothing i can do," jisung replies blankly, "he may love me, but he loves his family more."

 

"are you just going to give up?" felix asks, his brows furrowed as he grabs jisung's hand. "jisung, he loves you and you love him! are you just going to let him marry a random guy and be miserable for the rest of his life?"

 

"felix and changbin are right, jisung. just go and try to talk him out of this, it's for his own good as well. you have around ten minutes before the ceremony starts," seungmin says softly.

 

jisung doesn't answer. instead, he turns around, walking away from his friends. he can literally feel their worried gazes burning a hole in the back of his head when he mumbles out a _see you after the wedding_ under his breath, not looking back.

 

jisung has never been more confused than he is now. he knows felix, seungmin and changbin are right. minho is about to make his own life a living hell, and jisung _should_  stop him.

 

but he can't bring himself to turn around and storm inside the church to tell minho that it's a massive mistake.

 

but he is so fucking scared, and he doesn't even know why. maybe it's the smile that minho had on his face when he left the house with hyungseok a few weeks earlier. it terrifies him that he doesn't know it it was fake anymore. 

 

hell, he should _know_  that it was fake. minho came running to him in tears later that same day. he was fucking terrified of the idea of marrying hyungseok.

 

and now there he is. soon mr. lee will walk him down the aisle and soon minho will be holding hyungseok's hands, and soon the priest announces that they are now husbands. and the thought makes jisung feel sick.

 

but now, he just quietly walks home, his head hanging low. when he enters his house, he just drags himself to his own room and lies down on his bed, tears starting to stream down his cheeks and staining the pillow.

 

 

 

"oh, we are going to miss you so much. i'm so proud of you," mrs. lee sobs as she pulls minho into a tight hug. minho can do nothing but hug her back, a sad smile on his face. "i'll miss you too, mom." 

 

"remember to visit as soon as possible, okay?" woojin asks when minho tightly hugs his neck, a sob finally leaving his lips as well as he nods.

 

hyunjin, jeongin, chan and chansik are all crying as well. minho's chest feels heavy at the sight of his family members' tears.

 

the last one to say goodbye to minho is mr. lee. he is smiling, a mix of proudness and sadness in his eyes when they hug. "good luck, minho. i hope you will be happy."

 

minho doesn't have time to answer when mr. jung appears, glaring at minho's family before giving minho a gentle smile, gesturing towards the white limousine and a waiting hyungseok. "it's time to go, minho. we don't have all day."

 

the latter just nods, pulling away from his father when hyunsoo, hyungseok's cousin, grabs his arm and escorts him inside the limousine with mr. jung tailing after them.

 

minho doesn't speak in the car, he just sits down next to hyungseok and listens to his, hyunsoo's and mr. jung's conversation of something minho doesn't even understand.

 

it takes an eternity when the driver finally stops the car, and he feels his heartbeat quicken. he turns to look st hyungseok, and for the first time ever, he seeks for some kind of safety in his new husband. he feels scared. this is it. his new home. the place where he will live from now on. 

 

hyungseok smiles at minho and takes his hand, opening the car door. "don't worry. i'm sure you'll like it," he says reassuringly and gets out of the car, and minho follows him like a lost puppy. what else can he do?

 

minho's breath gets caught in his throat as he stares at the huge building in front of him. it seriously looks like some kind of a castle or a palace. this feels wrong.

 

"well, do you like it, minho?" mr. jung asks as he comes to stand behind them, harshly gripping minho's shoulders and minho nearly jumps. from the friendly tone the older man's voice holds, he knows he has no intentions of hurting him, so he just nods and smiles widely. "it's very beautiful."

 

mr. jung lets go of his shoulders with a smile, walking past them with hyunsoo and the driver following him.

 

"let's go," hyungseok says and gives minho's hand a tight squeeze, and the younger tenses up momentarily before nodding. hyungseok smiles gently and leads him towards the building, through the huge double doors and through the hallways, all the way to a massive bedroom. minho's breath gets caught in his throat.

 

the bedroom alone is probably as big as minho's former house. there is a king-sized bed, an unnecessarily large wardrobe, and numerous of other things minho thought he would never see in his life. there are also huge glass doors in the other side of the room, and minho immediately knows that it's a balcony. he nearly gasps. 

 

"this is our room," hyungseok begins, sitting minho down on one of the armchairs and gesturing towards two doors. "that one on the right is the bathroom. the left one is my work office. that's one of the only places where you are not allowed to go. only if i have given you a permission you can enter. and don't enter anytime when i'm working, don't even knock on the door. understood?" 

 

minho swallows, nodding rapidly at hyungseok's stern voice. 

 

"good. hyunsoo's and dad's offices are out of limits as well. remember this," hyungseok says, his voice slightly softer now as he leads minho out of the room again, down the stairs and through another hallway, to a living room. this time, minho gasps.

 

there are several couches and armchairs in the room, a large coffee table and a real _television_. minho scans the room with wide eyes, and hyungseok chuckles. "this is the living room. you can spend time here whenever you want. only if i, hyunsoo or my father tell you that you can't go, you aren't allowed."

 

minho just nods again. "but there is one place just for you. a place where you can go whenever you want. come," hyungseok smiles, and again, guides the younger gently through the halls with his hands on minho's waist, and minho wants to swat them away.

 

"here it is," the older mumbles under his breath as he opens another pair of double doors, and minho's eyes widen once again.

 

for a moment minho believes that he is just seeing things. he blinks three times, and is convinced that it's real. it's not his imagination.

 

a library. it's a freaking library. minho turns towards hyungseok with his eyes the size of a plate, and hyungseok chuckles. "i actually asked your father what you like and he told me you liked books so... i thought that this would be a good present for you. do you like it?" he asks, clearly nervous, and minho would have thought that it was cute if he didn't hate the man already.

 

minho smiles and nods, and decides to hug hyungseok, just to convince himself that he doesn't have to hate him, that the older is trying his best to make minho happy.

 

it doesn't help at all.

 

"i love it, hyungseok. thank you."

 

hyungseok smiles and minho smiles back, pulling away.

 

"hey, hyungseok. your dad wants us to decide if we are going to sign the contract" hyunsoo suddenly says as he shows up at the door, and hyungseok groans loudly, glaring at his cousin. "it's literally my wedding day, can't dad leave me alone with it today?"

 

"apparently not. come on. mihyan can keep minho company if he doesn't want to be alone," hyunsoo says, giving minho a smile. it's genuine, but also uncomfortable. and minho can't even blame him, who would be comfortable with the idea of having a poor farmer in your home? 

 

"mihyan is hyunsoo's husband. he' s really kind, i'm sure you'll like him. do you want him to come?" hyungseok asks, tilting his head questioningly at minho. the younger blinks, swallowing as he nods.

 

"i'll go get him and send him here. welcome to the family, minho," hyunsoo says, a wide grin spreading on his lips before he hurries away, and hyungseok smiles. "i have to go now as well. i'll be back in a few hours."

 

with that, the older male leaves the room. minho blinks. he can do nothing else but slowly walk over to the huge couch in the library and sit down, his gaze scanning the room and the bookshelves full of books, his mind blank. 

 

"hi!"

 

minho nearly screams when suddenly a boy, probably a few years older than him, jumps onto the couch next to him with a wide, warm smile, a giggle leaving his lips. "sorry, i didn't mean to startle you. i'm mihyan, hyunsoo's husband," he says, reaching his hand towards minho. 

 

minho takes mihyan's hand and shakes it. "i'm minho."

 

"i know," mihyan giggles again, and minho can't help but smile at the male's excitement. he likes him already.

 

"so. do you like it here? i mean you're obviously still nervous and confused, it's written all over your face. but are you feeling better than at the wedding? hyunsoo told me you were pretty upset."

 

minho flinches slightly and moves his gaze away from mihyan. of course people noticed that he was clearly _not_  okay. he couldn't even give the guests a smile at his own wedding.

 

"y-yeah. i'm feeling better now," minho mutters, shifting his position uncomfortably, and mihyan nods, smiling. "good. trust me, i was just as confused as you are when i got married with hyunsoo," the male laughs, and minho turns to look at him. mihyan is smiling to himself as he stares at the bookshelves, and minho hums quietly. he can almost see how the memories are running in mihyan's mind.

 

"we didn't have a complicated wedding as you and hyungseok did, though. i was a rich kid, just like hyunsoo and hyungseok. i have been their friend since we were all little. i and hyunsoo became a couple in high school. we were afraid of telling anyone about it, though," mihyan giggles, and minho stares at him with his head tilted.

 

"we thought that mr. jung would be angry. you can only imagine how scared we were when he caught us kissing one day." mihyan laughs now, and minho smiles. the male sounds so happy, just talking about his childhood memories, and minho bites his lip when his own childhood memories flood into his mind. every time he snuck out of the house at night to see jisung, and sometimes he even snuck out with hyunjin, when the younger was dating jeongin secretly and minho was the only one he told.

 

"anyways, we were both surprised when he suggested that we should get married. but we actually wanted to do it. we talked about it quite often. so we went ahead and did it almost immediately," mihyan says, sighing softly and finally turning to face minho, smiling gently at him. his smile somehow reminds him of his mother and chan. his eyes hold that same, kind and almost motherly gaze their's did. minho knows that mihyan will probably be the person that minho will turn to every time he misses his family.

 

 

 

it's 10 pm already when hyungseok returns to the library with hyunsoo. both of them are surprised to find their husbands chatting and laughing like old friends. "well, at least he seems to be comfortable now," hyunsoo whispers in hyungseok's ear, making sure that the two male's won't hear him, too busy chatting with each other. "but remember, he was practically forced into this, he is scared. make him feel safe. don't act like an asshole like you have done with your past girlfriends and boyfriends. you know, we are lucky that we managed to pay them to keep quiet. our family and our company would be ruined if everyone knew."

 

hyungseok just growls, glancing at his cousin. "i _know_ , okay? stop bringing up the shitty past. i'm really trying my best here."

 

"yeah, but everyone knows you are married. if you treat him badly, everyone will know. you can't keep it a secret anymore. which is actually good, because you should never treat anyone like that ever again-" 

 

"oh, you signed the contract already?" mihyan asks, jumping up from the couch and walking over to hyunsoo, his arms wrapping around the taller male and giving him a light kiss, making hyunsoo smile widely. "yeah, we signed it. it was a hard decision though."

 

"it's getting late," hyungseok says, moving his gaze towards minho. "we should go now."

 

minho swallows and nods, standing up and giving hyunsoo and mihyan a wide smile before hyungseok grabs his hand, leading him back towards their bedroom.

 

minho doesn't sleep that night, the feeling of hyungseok's hands on his body haunting him.

 

 

 

"jisung, open the fucking door or i'll kick it down."

 

felix sighs heavily as changbin starts pounding on the door again, and seungmin leans against the wall, rubbing his face. "this is useless. he won't open it. just kick it down."

 

"go away, leave me alone."

 

felix pushes his husband out of the way and starts pounding on the door as well. "we won't leave until you open this door so we can see you!"

 

it's quiet for a second. then, felix hears the door click open and changbin is already storming into jisung's house, seungmin and felix following without missing a beat.

 

jisung stumbles backwards, muttering under his breath as he closes the door. "come right in, why don't you? i opened the door so you can leave."

 

"jisung, i am so sick of this," changbin hisses, walking over to the younger male to stand in front of him. "i fucking get that you are sad. and you have every right to be, i'm not judging you for that. but this is fucking ridiculous. it was your _own_  choice to give up and let minho marry hyungseok. you could have stopped it, yet here you are, drinking your worries away because you thought that what you did- no, _didn't do_ was for the best."

 

jisung bites his lip and felix swallows, feeling tears build up in his eyes. seeing one of his best friends like this hurt. jisung used to be so happy, always smiling and telling jokes to make everyone else laugh as well. and as felix looks around the house, he feels sick.

 

there are several empty alcohol bottles laying around the house. the place is dirty, and jisung probably hasn't taken a shower in days, judging by his dirty and messy hair.

 

"get a grip. now you will fucking go and take a fucking shower while we clean the house. i won't watch this any longer," changbin says, grabbing jisung's arms and pushing him towards the bathroom. jisung blinks and slowly leaves the room, closing the door after him.

 

"this is a mess," seungmin sighs as he looks around, and felix can't help but agree.

 

"come on, let's clean this up. god, we should have visited three weeks ago when he locked himself in here."

 

felix turns to look at his husband, grabbing the older male's hand. "changbin, this is not your fault. don't blame yourself, none of us knew it would be this bad."

 

"i have known him for years, i should have known it would be this bad! he loves minho, and i really expected him to be okay when minho was almost forced to marry someone else! how is it not my fault, felix?"

 

seungmin and felix both flinch, and felix hears the shower stop running. changbin is staring at him, not with anger but with guilt. felix smiles sadly, wrapping his arms around his husband gently, and changbin hugs him back tightly. "it's not your fault. that's all i have to say. so stop blaming yourself, hyung."

 

"okay," changbin mumbles, and felix sighs in relief, pulling away from the older male. "now, let's clean this up."

 

 

 

the first three months are okay.

 

minho is still sad, of course he is. being close to hyungseok makes him feel sick, the house feels like a prison and he fucking misses jisung.

 

but at least he doesn't feel lonely, thanks to mihyan and hyunsoo. he spends every day cleaning the house and cooking with the older male. after they are ready and they have eaten, he goes to relax in the library and mihyan and hyunsoo always join him an hour later. minho barely sees hyungseok other than at dinner and nights, he is always busy.

 

but then suddenly, everything starts changing.

 

"my legs and arms are dying, why did we choose to walk?" mihyan complains and minho chuckles. "because walking is good for you," he tells mihyan, causing the older male to groan as he tries to balance with the bags. "well, i am not used to doing this. i'm not sure if i should be grateful to you or not."

 

"oh trust me, you should be grateful," minho chuckles as he sets the bags down on the ground and opens the door, letting mihyan in before following him to the kitchen.

 

they are in the middle of emptying the bags and moving the foods to the large fridge when it happens for the first time.

 

"are you fucking serious, hyungseok!?"

 

mihyan and minho both stop their movements and turn their heads to look at the door. soon it flies open, and hyunsoo is dragging a drunk hyungseok with him. minho feels his heart stop. not in worry, but in fear.

 

"hyungseok?" mihyan asks, quickly hurrying to get the said male a glass of water. minho swallows, acting like he everything is okay and continuing to put the food in the fridge. this isn't good. he is sure of it. 

 

he is absolutely right. later that night, hyunsoo explains everything.

 

"hyungseok used to be abusive towards his partners. not only emotionally, but physically as well. i can't even remember all the times i've seen him hit his partners because they didn't please him," hyunsoo mumbles, and minho stares with wide eyes, panic slowly starting to rise.

 

"we have paid them to keep quiet. not only hyungseok's reputation was in danger, but ours as well. we couldn't risk it. but today.... one of his ex-girlfriends told everyone in a speech she gave that she used to date hyungseok and that she was abused. and after that, every single one of them spoke up. now we are pretty much... in trouble."

 

mihyan storms out of the room at that point, his hands clenched in tight fists.

 

minho is too frozen to follow him. his husband is abusive, has been the whole time.

 

but never towards him. he doesn't know if he is in danger or not.

 

"please, minho. he has changed. you have to be there for him, even though i know that it scares you. he married you for a reason. he told me that he believes you are the one who changed him."

 

minho's head spins. he doesn't protest, he just nods, gets up from the couch and heads towards his and hyungseok's bedroom, not knowing that it is the last thing he should do.

 

he slowly and carefully opens the door. hyungseok is sitting there on the edge of the bed, his hair a mess and his eyes staring emptily at minho, making the younger shiver slightly.

 

"he told you, didn't he?" hyungseok spits out, glaring at his husband like he is his worst enemy. minho swallows and bites his lip, moving his gaze away.

 

that is the first mistake he makes.

 

"answer me!" hyungseok suddenly yells, getting up from the bed and taking long, threatening steps towards the smaller male, and minho slowly starts panicking as he moves his gaze back to hyungseok. "y-yes! he told me, he told me everything....."

 

hyungseon hums, still glaring down at him and minho has never felt so small and scared. _i was the one to change him? bullshit, he hasn't changed at all._

 

"you are useless," hyungseok suddenly growls, and minho flinches, moving his gaze towards the floor, tears building up in his eyes. "what did i expect when i married a farmer? i could have done so much better. but instead i chose a cheap whore like you."

 

minho's eyes widen, and he lifts his gaze again, looking at hyungseok, causing him to laugh out loud. "oh, you think i don't know about you and your little friend jisung? i know everything about you two, how you tried to call off the wedding because you loved him."

 

minho feels his heart drop to his stomach, and he backs away, tears streaming down his face. to his luck, hyungseok doesn't follow him, but minho doesn't even know if that's better when the older continues talking. "but money seems to be more important than love, isn't it? that's how human mind works," he growls, "everyone always says that love is the most important thing in their lives. but when they are offered fame and money, they always seem to forget love like it's a piece of trash."

 

minho feels sick. he wants to get out. he needs to get out, the air in the room is suffocating, and he is just so fucking _scared_ of what hyungseok is going to do next. will he leave the room and lock him inside? will he hit him? or worse?

 

"tell me, minho. are you scared?" hyungseok suddenly asks, his voice full of venom and it's so _sick_  how four months ago his voice was dripping with honey, how different he truly is from that kind man minho first met. 

 

minho swallows, shaking his head. he doesn't dare to tell him the truth. hell, he doesn't want to know what happens if he tells him that he is scared.

 

that is the second mistake he makes.

 

hyungseok laughs again, and minho shivers. it's almost demonic. he takes a deep breath. hyungseok is acting like this only because he is drunk. he is drunk, and the next day he will be back to normal.

 

"stop lying. i can see the fear in your eyes. you are fucking scared. i knew it. you are no different than the others," hyungseok growls, and turns away. minho doesn't wait.

 

he storms out of the room and runs to the library as fast as his legs can carry him.

 

he locks the door and spends the next ten hours there, ignoring mihyan and hyunsoo knocking on the door, telling him that hyungseok won't do it again.

 

 

 

he does it again. only a week later.

 

but this time, he isn't even drunk.

 

he has done his best to avoid hyungseok. at the dinner table, minho ignores him completely, only talking to mihyan, hyunsoo and mr. jung. he goes to sleep before hyungseok finishes his work and gets up before him.

 

apparently, hyungseok has enough of it very quickly.

 

minho is just about to slide under the covers when the door to his husband's work office opens and hyungseok walks in, closing the door quietly.

 

the younger quickly slides under the covers and turns on his right side, his back facing the older male. he hears hyungseok sigh, and the bed dips beside him, and minho tenses up, biting his lip as he closes his eyes. "minho. i know you're awake. no one falls asleep that quick."

 

minho only hums, hoping that hyungseok won't make him turn around. the last thing he wants right now is to see his husband's face.

 

"minho, turn around so i can see you. i don't want to talk to your back."

 

and minho turns around slowly, but his eyes are not meeting hyungseok's. he doesn't want to look into his eyes. he doesn't want to lay there in hyungseok's bed. he wants jisung. tears build up in his eyes, and minho quickly closes them to stop the tears from falling.

 

it's useless, because a stray tear falls from his other eye and lands on the pillow.

 

"are you seriously crying? do i make you that scared?"

 

minho opens his eyes. hyungseok looks hurt if anything. he is really trying to change himself, minho sees it in his eyes.

 

"no."

 

"are you lying to me again? minho, i told you to be honest with me when we met."

 

silence.

 

how could minho tell him that he is crying because he wants to be in another man's arms? even if their marriage is loveless, he knows that it's wrong. he promised his life to someone else. but hyungseok told him to be honest.

 

"spit it out. if you're not scared, then why are you avoiding me?"

 

minho takes a deep breath.

 

"i-i... i miss my family. i miss _jisung_."

 

that is the third mistake minho makes, and the last one as well.

 

minho expects it. he quickly gets up from the bed and backs away from hyungseok, who is already shouting at him.

 

"i have fucking given you everything, and still you dare to tell me that you miss that piece of trash!? what the fuck do you want!? you have everything right here, and still you crave for more!? tell me, what the fuck am i not giving you!?"

 

minho blinks, a tear falling from his eye as he sniffles and opens his mouth.

 

" _love_."

 

hyungseok stares at minho in disbelief, and that's when mr. jung, hyunsoo and mihyan storm into the room. before minho knows it, mihyan is already hugging him and hyunsoo is yelling at hyungseok at the top of his lungs, pushing his cousin against a wall, saying something along the lines of; _this is the last fucking straw! i am so sick of this, i'm so sick of you treating everyone like shit!_

 

the next thing minho even remembers is being pushed into a car by mihyan and hyunsoo. mihyan is talking to him nonstop, but minho's brain doesn't register what he is saying. he feels dizzy, and his chest feels heavy.

 

he doesn't remember what happens next.

 

but it doesn't matter, because when hyunsoo opens the car door, minho sees his home.

 

not hyungseok's home. but _his_. his family's old farm. minho climbs out of the car in a speed of light, and he nearly starts crying when he hears chansik and jeongin's excited screams of: _minho hyung! minho hyung is here!_

 

and soon, chansik is clinging to his right leg and jeongin is hugging his neck so tight that he feels like he can't breathe. but he doesn't care. his family is here. he is safe.

 

"minho! oh my god!"

 

"minnie hyung!"

 

"thank god you're okay!"

 

minho sobs as all of them tightly hug him, his mother blabbering something about how they heard what hyungseok has done and that they were so scared that minho had to go through the same. his father apologizes over and over again, and only stops when minho hugs him tightly as well, telling him that it's okay.

 

"you! we tried to contact minho in every way possible, why the hell did you rats keep him away from us?" mrs. lee hisses, pointing an accusing finger at hyunsoo, and the said male dips his head. "it was hyungseok's doing. it turned out that he had been hiding every single one of your letters and reclined your calls because he thought minho would miss you too much. i'm sorry for all the bother we have put you through. the marriage will be cancelled as soon as possible."

 

"it better be," mr. lee growls before sighing. "thank you from bringing him back. you won't let hyungseok get away with this, are you?"

 

"no. hyungseok's place as the next ruler of the northern side of the town is given to someone else." hyunsoo smiles then, turning towards minho. "i'm sorry minho, for everything. i hope you will be happy with that jisung guy. i hope you won't forget us either."

 

minho smiles as well, sniffling as he wraps his arms around hyunsoo and mihyan. "i won't. thanks."

 

the two older males smile, and mihyan pets his hair before following hyunsoo to the car, and they drive away, minho waving at them until they disappear from his sight.

 

"i can't believe he was such an asshole, he seemed so nice," hyunjin sighs, hugging jeongin's arm. "you missed mine and innie's wedding."

 

minho spins around to face his younger brother, eyes wide. "what? you got married already?"

 

 "yeah. a week ago. we tried to send you a message and a letter, and i even tried to come and see you, but you never replied and the guards told me that i'm not allowed to visit," woojin mumbles, and minho frowns.

 

"but you're here now, that's the main point," mrs. lee says, a wide smile on her face as she hugs minho again.

 

minho smiles as well, but now that he is reunited with his family, there is one person he needs to see, more than ever.

 

"i need to see jisung."

 

mrs. lee pulls away from him, a sad smile now on her lips. "of course, honey. but.... don't be shocked once you see him. he.... he isn't really in a good condition."

 

minho frowns again, feeling his heart drop to his stomach. "what do you mean?"

 

"he locked himself in his house. a few months ago he started letting felix, changbin and seungmin into his house, though. but he doesn't even go out anymore."

 

minho doesn't need to hear the rest. he turns around and sprints across the road, towards jisung's house, pounding on the door as hard as he can. "jisung! jisungie!"

 

the door clicks open after a minute. slowly, a hand pushes it open, and the door lets out a loud creaking sound, and it hurts minho's ears despite of the cars passing by on the road. 

 

minho grabs the handle and pulls the door open quickly, and he hears a yelp, and someone bumps into him, and soon minho is lying on the ground with someone in his arms.

 

"minnie hyung? firefly? my love?"

 

minho nearly screams as his brain finally registers that the one laying on top of him is _jisung_. the younger yelps again when minho hugs him tightly, burying his face into the crook of the shorter male's neck.

 

"oh my god," is the only thing jisung says as he switches their positions so minho is on top of him, sitting up to pull the latter onto his lap. his other hand immediately flies up to the older's hair and his other arm wraps around his torso.

 

minho feels tears build up in his eyes when he notices that the younger has lost weight. he can feel jisung's ribs through the worn-out t-shirt. not that clearly, but he knows that he is way too thin. the older pulls away, caressing the smaller male's, fortunately still chubby, cheeks.

 

"i missed you," jisung breathes out and minho shivers at the amount of love and adoration in his gaze and voice. "i missed you too, sungie."

 

"you... you're not leaving again, right?" the younger asks as he lets his fingers run through minho's dark locks. "after what he has done- i... i don't want you to go back."

 

"i won't. i'm free."

 

jisung sighs in relief, pulling minho tightly against him, closing his eyes and breathing in the older male's scent.

 

"i love you."

 

"i love you."

 

it's said at the exact same time, and for a few seconds it's completely silent. minho is the first one to giggle, quickly followed by jisung. and soon, they are both trembling with laughter, and jisung lets go of the older male to press their lips together.

 

 

 

"oh my god, i'm so nervous," jisung mumbles, spacing around and causing hyunjin to chuckle as the older male fixes his clothes. "why?"

 

"why? _why_? are you seriously asking me that?"

 

"come on, it'll go well," changbin says, smiling as he brushes jisung's hair away from his eyes. "we have to go now." 

 

jisung takes a deep breath, walking to stand in front of the crowd.

 

it doesn't take long for the soft music to start playing, and for minho to walk down the aisle, smiling widely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's it!  
> i really don't know what that ending even was, i just wanted to write a very very short epilogue where they are about to get married lol  
> anyways thank you so, so much for reading <333


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